Having just finished a second series since its return last year, Davies restored BBC1's Saturday night ratings and started a trend for retro drama that will continue with Robin Hood, also on BBC1, and Sky One's remake of The Prisoner.

Davies was rewarded this year with three Bafta TV awards for Doctor Who, including best drama and the Dennis Potter award for outstanding writing. "We were told that bringing it back would be impossible, that we would never capture this generation of children," said Davies. "But we did it."

Praised by critics as warm, witty and, of course, scary, Doctor Who has also become one of the most effective satires on television, passing comment on everything from hospital superbugs to the war on Iraq.

It is a sign of the show's success that it attracts writing talent of the calibre of Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffatt, and stars such as Richard Wilson and Peter Kay. Last year's Christmas special, introducing David Tennant as the doctor, was watched by 10 million viewers.

The second series, which concluded with the dramatic exit of Billie Piper as the Doctor's assistant, finished with 7.7 million, 1.6 million more than watched the final episode of the first run.

Davies' big break came in 1998 with Channel 4's Queer as Folk. Since then he has been responsible for some memorable TV dramas, including Clocking Off, The Second Coming, Bob and Rose and BBC3's Casanova.

Davies began his career as a scriptwriter on Granada's Children's Ward, where he worked with Paul Abbott, also on this year's list, and Kay Mellor.

Davies has signed up for at least two more seasons of Doctor Who, and will oversee spin-off series Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as fellow time traveller Captain Jack.

More intriguingly, perhaps, he will also return to Queer as Folk territory with a project dubbed MGM (More Gay Men) with Nichola Schindler's Red Productions. Davies has said he would like to see it on BBC1. "I'm quite aware that the BBC hasn't got a big gay series, and it should."

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